Category Archives: Life

Really listening

Tonight at church we had our annual carols service. This service is a particular favourite of mine as it brings everyone together and it is always a lot of fun. Tonight was particularly special as I got to be involved in a number of different items, in fact some may say that last night I preformed the triple threat… Dancing with my timbrel girls, Singing with 6pm group and acting as part of Benny’s dramas. It was a lot of fun, and with a vocal number from my favourite group of singing sisters, it was a bit magical too. But this blog isn’t actually about the carols service, but it does give me a nice little segue to my blogging topic… as it is about carols…

One thing that has really hit me this Christmas is the words of the carols. I think for so long I have just been playing, singing and listening to the carols that there meaning had become lost, but a little while ago, actually back in November I was driving between sites at work listening to my Christmas playlist and O Holy Night come on and the words of this really beautiful carol really hit me.

I think it was the first time, perhaps ever with this song, that I had actually take the time to really hear the lyrics as I listened… this is unusual for me as I am actually really into lyrics… I am constantly annoying Dave with songs I want him to listen to the words of, so I was almost shocked that I had never noticed before. Or perhaps I had noticed, and I did know the words but I hadn’t fully comprehended their meaning until that moment in the car. Just in case you aren’t familiar with the lyrics… check them out…

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our friend!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His Gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His Name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy Name!

Fall on your knees, O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born!
O night, O holy night, O night divine!

It is such a refreshing version of the Christmas story… a reminder of what actually happened and more importantly what it means for the world. I think some of the lines that hit me hardest were:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

And I think that the reason these words hit me so hard were that the words are still true today. We still live in a world that pines for something better than the sin and error that we live in daily, yet we can’t experience that ‘thrill of hope’ which makes our tired and worn out souls rejoice until we allow ourselves to understand the worth of the Christmas story and God’s sacrifice of his son. But I guess what excites me most is that when we know its worth… there is a new and glorious day waiting for us, one of love, forgiveness, peace, hope and joy and that is the reason for all of this.

I guess it is so easy to forget and get caught up in Christmas as a commercial event, one which even without its true meaning can be a satisfying time to stop and appreciate family, friends and loved ones. But it’s so much better when the true joy and hope of Christmas helps the weary soul to rejoice… it’s the way it was meant to be… in fact when I think about the real reason I celebrate, all the other things that make Christmas exhausting seem to fade into insignificance.

I guess the reason that I post this today is to serve as a reminder… mostly for myself, that I need to make sure I have my focus right as the next week get a little hectic.

I’m Dreaming of a White Chirstmas…

It’s snowing on my blog… yep snowing… why because it’s the only way an Australian girl like me can have a white Christmas… Don’t get me wrong I love having a hot Christmas… when the weather decides to do it’s bit, but I guess being a sucker for all things fairytale like the idea of a white Christmas is a bit magical!

So I just thought I would write this little post so that you could all come here and enjoy the white Christmas too…

Boundless Salvation

Posted in Faith, God, Life, The Salvation Army by

Commissioning is a massive Salvofest and being the salvo junkie I am, I love it… almost every minute of it.  Yesterday as part of this year’s commissioning service we sang my favourite army song.  It’s one that lots of people tolerate and often don’t enjoy, mainly because it has seven verses, seven long verses.  And the salvos that read this will probably already know what song I am talking about, but I really love it.  The song is called ‘O Boundless Salvation’ and is commonly referred to as the ‘founder’s song’ and I have loved it from the moment I first heard it a number of years ago… I think one of the reasons I love it so much is that the words reflect so much of my experience, in fact I would probably go so far as to say it’s my testimony written by someone else.

So I thought that today I would put up the verses that ring most true to me as an ongoing reminder of where I have come from and where I want to be going… so that perhaps when I look back at this in years to come I will be able to give myself either a pat on the back or a kick in the pants…  chances are though in years to come the words will still ring true…

Verse 4:
Now tossed with temptation,
then haunted with fears,
My life has been joyless and useless for years;
I feel something better most surely would be
If once thy pure waters,
if once thy pure waters,
If once thy pure waters would roll over me.

Verse 6:
The tide is now flowing,
I’m touching the wave,
I hear the loud call of the Mighty to Save;
My faith’s growing bolder, delivered I’ll be;
I plunge ’neath the waters, I plunge ’neath the waters,
I plunge ’neath the waters they roll over me.

Verse 7:
And now, hallelujah! the rest of my days
Shall gladly be spent in promoting His praise
Who opened His bosom to pour out this sea
Of boundless salvation, of boundless salvation,
Of boundless salvation for you and for me.

December

Posted in Christmas by

Wow… this year has flown… I know everybody says that, but it really does feel like just yesterday when I was madly planning a wedding, settling into a relatively new job and waiting waiting waiting to marry my prince charming… but now that’s all done…  and while this confuses me, I figure if I actually stop to think about it, I will most likely miss the rest of the year because in case you hadn’t noticed… it’s December…

For me this means a few things…

1.  I can now play Christmas carols when ever and where ever I feel like it.  Previously I had been restricted to when I was alone or in my car so that Dave didn’t get too sick of them, but now that its officially Christmas… too bad… the carols will play.

2.  I will no longer be shunned… stared at… or called strange names when I tell people I have my Christmas tree up, because it’s December and its supposed to be up!

3.  My advent calendar is staring me down when I get up in the morning filled with chocolately goodness.

4.  I now have a really good excuse to watch all my favourite Christmas movies again…

I really love Christmas… like seriously love it… and I am so glad that it is here.  I know for lots of people Christmas isn’t a happy time, but there is just something about it that seems to make me happy, almost giddy happy on the inside… So from now on… until mid Jan… I am going to love everything Christmassy I can.

Um… I’m an Adult…

Posted in Exercise, Faith, Life, Top 10 by

I know I have mentioned this a few times now, but it turns out I am an adult, despite the fact that it’s been this way for longer than I would like I am still not sure when it happened, or what on earth I am supposed to be doing about it.  I have realised lately that I tend to have a ‘wait and then’ or an ‘after that’ idea about adult things, which probably isn’t helpful.  What I mean by that is I think I am in denial, so instead of just embracing life for what it is, I am waiting for things to happen or change until I start something or try something, you know, waiting for the perfect timing, perfect conditions or perfect situation.  I make plans like after I get married I will… or when I have a full time job I will, or once I am feeling a little more settled I will… and I am slowly learning that this perfect timing, is never going to be here.  Maybe I will never fully feel settled until I start doing some of this stuff, and the more I put things of the harder they seem to obtain.

I am beginning to think that maybe this is what being an adult is actually about… Learning to make do with some times less than perfect situations and embracing life whether it’s ready or not… taking the risk.  The thing is I have always been a procrastinator, especially in big decisions and I tend to panic about whether or not I am making the right choice, the perfect choice, the best choice… but so often I hear people say just take a risk, what’s the worst that could happen, well let me tell you I can come up with a lot of worst case scenarios, but perhaps there is room for both.  I don’t think I am supposed to be waiting my life away, only making decisions I am 100% sure about, but at the same time I don’t want to be making crazy irrational choices, I think there has to be a balance, but I also definitely think that I need to start just doing things, getting into it and turning my life into what I want it to be rather than just waiting till it all falls in place… which let’s face it is never going to happen.

I know in the future, perhaps not so distant any more, there will be lots of crazy situations and decisions to make… like where to buy a house, how we save to buy a house, when to start a family, what we teach our family, where I go with my career?  These are all questions that frighten the pants off me, but they are all things that eventually I will have to face.  But I think for now I will just start with a few things to make me and my marriage better… small, probably not that risky decisions that I just need to embrace and run with… just start doing, no questions and no excuses, before I miss my chance and regret it.

Luckily for me lots of people want to do this too… and recently with the help of wordpress’ ‘freshly pressed’ blogs I have come across a few handy hints to get me started in particular a blog by Tom Basson called “16 Tips to Simplify Your Life (and Increase Your Productivity)”and a blog by Palm Trees & Bare Feet called  “my listy list 5 ways to enhance night time and morning wake up” check them out… So below is a list of a few things that I am going to start with today to help me get organised, stop me wasting my time and helping me to a better version of me.  A better friend, a better wife, a better Christian and a better human.  I am listing them as statements, promises to myself and you I guess, that way they are no longer just suggestions… but hopefully reality…. Are you ready, I’m not but here it is anyway:

1.  I will turn off all technology 60minutes before I go to bed… this one is huge for me but I am addicted to my iphone, the television, my computer, music and all things technological, so I have to give myself some boundaries.  I am going back to the old school alarm clock because I actually don’t need my phone next to my bed all night…and just in case there is an emergency, please call our landline or Dave…  This leads me nicely to number 2…

2.  This one is straight from Palm Trees & Bare feet… I will get up in the morning like I’m ripping of a bandaid… I hate getting up in the morning, I love my bed and I love just lying there being cosy… but no longer… on Weekdays… when the alarm goes off I get up… no questions, no grumbling… just up.

3.  I will Plan my week top to toe so that I can be organised and get everything I need to done… including time to rest.  Over the years I have wasted a lot of money on tables and stationary designed to help me be organised so it’s time to dust it off and use it.

4.  I will exercise at least once a week, I know it doesn’t seem like a challenge, but I have 100 excuses as to why I can’t, I’m tired, the weathers bad, I’m busy… too bad so sad… I will do it anyway

5. I will eat one sit down meal with my husband each week… again it doesn’t seem like a challenge but it’s surprising how little we see of each other most weeks… so I am making it a priority.

6. I will do my devotions at least twice a week… seriously these last three seem like they should be easy, but they aren’t they are hard, because they are easy to push aside… so its time to make this a priority too… I would like to think that I would actually do this more often than twice, but I am constantly telling my clients to make SMART goals, specific, measurable, achievable,  realistic and timely, so its about time I started doing it myself, setting goals I can actually achieve, rather than pie in the sky dreams that I will just be disappointed I can’t reach.

So there you go, that’s my list for now…. I might even give them their own page so I can keep you updated about how I am going, but with or with out their extra page… I am doing adult things, making decisions and setting goals… look at me go… I am unstoppable.

Cooking Tips

A regular part of my old blogs was ‘Cooking Tips with Emma’ a segment in which I learnt from my mistakes as I attempted to make myself proficient in the kitchen. Now don’t be confused… When I say proficient… I really mean just scraping through, enough to live and provide a meal ever now and then, but that’s pretty much as high as the bar was set.

However, I would like to inform you that I believe since then I have come a long way… in fact since stepping in to my new role as wife, I have even conquered a few things. Don’t believe me… well here is some pictorial evidence, I know you can’t taste these because they are just pictures, but I reckon that they look pretty flipping good…

Anyway the reason I share this is because I have a new tip… but before I get to that perhaps you need a refresher of the tips to date…

TIP 1: A Blender is not an appropriate substitute for a food processer

TIP 2: When you have visitors…Stick with what you know!

TIP 3: Read the signs…if the oven is in Fahrenheit and the mixers blow up…give up, it’s not worth the stress.

TIP 4: Make sure you always have a mixing bowl. Saucepans are not as good a swap as they appear

Tip 5: Silicon baking trays are risky!

Now granted most of these are based out of disaster… but today’s tip is on a more successful note… A couple of weeks ago Jake and his girlfriend came over for tea and I decided that I would cook for them something that they would not have had before, knowing very well, that they were both fairly ‘safe’ eaters and at times selective. During the afternoon I asked them how adventurous they were feeling and after ensuring me that they were up for something different, I began preparing a dish that I had been taught be some very good mates of mine, Kirsten and Pheebs. A dish which has become a favourite of mine and in fact I would even go as far as to say it is a George Family Favourite… Roast Vegetable and Cous Cous salad, although this one had chicken added as Jake’s girlfriend requires meat with all of her dishes. Despite my apprehension while preparing and even serving up, mainly due to the excessive amount of vegetables and this new ingredient for them of cous cous, it appeared to be a hit, as they both finished their bowls and Jake not only went back for seconds, but mentioned it on his blog… So there you go, I think a pretty successful story… vegetables and a delicious meal were consumed… which leads me to tip 6… which not only comes out of this story, but also out of all those dishes that have gone before…

Tip 6: Even bad cooks can make yummy things with practice

So… if you are feeling a little incompetent in the kitchen, take heart… coz with practice… you might even make something edible… coz I think I have come a long way from my basic cooking course with Claire, all they back in 2006, to mastering A George Family recipe… ‘Red Meat Casserole’ this year… even if I say so myself.